Feb 26, 27, 28

Up to 1955 grams and taking 36 mls of Neosure. My belly button fell off today and down to room air on O2 again. I've grown 1/2 cm in length too. The twins next to me have developed RSV and I've been tested and we're healthy! The twins are moving to isolation and no one but adults are allowed on the unit. I had another bath today and everything went soakingly well.

Feb 25

1855 grams. I have taken a bottle all day today and we're working on weaning me off the O2 as I have no alarms except when feeding. I cuddled with Rachel today and she gave me my bottle.

Feb 24

1800 grams!

I've only gavaged 2 feeds in the last 24 hrs. My gavage will stay out as long as I continue to tolerate the bottle. There are rumours of going home as early as next week. The head u/s results indicate that I have grown but the spot hasn't so I will have an MRI at Children's hospital on our way home.

Feb 23

1780 grams today. Bottling every other feed. Another head U/S was done today and the tech is going to compare the last one and this one and hopefully there is some shrinkage of the spot. I cuddled with mom and Nanna today.

Feb 22

1735 grams.
It snowed...alot..today. Mom couldn't come to visit as the roads were too dangerous to drive but she called lots.

My great granny Lenore passed away today so now there is an angel who's name I know and I carry with me for keeps. Mom says she stayed with me long enough to know I was ok before she went to heaven with the other angels.

Feb 21

1690 grams!
I had my first bath today with mom and Auntie Adena. I had an echo today too and Dr C says it is just turbulence, like water banging in pipes. I have another head U/S on Thurs.

Feb 19 & 20

Lots of cuddles these past two days and lots of visitors. Auntie Lori and Danielle and Wade and Nanna all came to cuddle with me. I am up to 1665 grams and bottling the majority of my feeds! The murmur was heard again and they are scheduling an echo for the next day or so.

Feb 18

I started taking a bottle today! Rachel came to help and changed my clothes and diaper and gave me part of my bottle and mom taught her how to pace me. I forget to breathe as I don't have the suck swallow breathe technique quite down pat yet and it causes my alarms to go off when I desat. Up to 1630 grams today.

Feb 17

Graduated to a big girl crib! Up to 1555 grams. They had a warmer on the crib that made me to hot which made my heart race and me pant. Mom came in and couldn't understand why I was racing a billion miles an hour. I have been desatting with feeds but I recover by myself. Still no further As or Bs (apneas & bradicardias). Dr C came to talk about the head u/s again as on my first one there was a tiny spot floating in the nullspace between my skull and brain - not on the brain but in the liquid.. they are not sure what it is, but it could be an echogenic cyst, blood or fatty tissue. Worst case, I will have to have an operation, but it will be an easy one as the cyst is not on the brain. They did another u/s and they are waiting for the results to see what to do.

Feb 16

Weight not changed. My feeds will be changed to every 3 hrs and getting 28 mls. Rachel came to read stories too.

Feb 15

Weight down to 1452, most likely due to PIC being removed. Mom was told at 10am that we were being transferred back to Rockyview which didn't make mom very happy. Happy to be transferred, unhappy about distance. At nearly 1pm we arrived at Rocky SCN and my weight at arrival was 1510 grans. Taking 18 mls of Special Care 24 every 2 hrs. I cuddled with mom for awhile after we got settled in. They changed my soother size to match that of the bottle that I will start to take soon. I enjoyed my ride in the ambulance and happily settled into my new space.

Feb 14

1458 grams. My PIC came out just after midnight and I'm doing ok. Air probe gone from my isolette and I've been told I'm doing great! Rachel came to read stories again. I had a big poop tonight and I haven't had a suppository for over 24 hrs now. Rachel helped change my diaper and my clothes. I gave mom her valentine and she cried.

Feb 13

1404 grams
My PIC IV which had vitamins and amino acids and fats in it is going to come out tonight. At 1630 feed, we used a small syringe and I ate orally instead of gavage. Around 1750 grams I might graduate to a cot instead of this isolette, which by the way, is exceptionally decorated with several guardian angels and a valentine I made for mom. My feeds are up to 14.5 mls every 2 hrs.

Feb 12

3.005 lbs - 1366 grams!!!
10.5mls every 2 hrs. Uneventful, just lots of cuddles with mom and Nanna.

Feb 11

1343 grams! Past birth weight! Daddy and Grandma came to visit and cuddle. It was pretty busy visits today. Colin, Darlene, Cass and Evan came and brought presents and to see me and Rachel read me stories and cuddled with me for ages.

Feb 10

Up to 1327 grams!
Daddy came to visit again and we cuddled for almost an hr. Rachel came to cuddle as well. I had a small poop today but still needing suppositories.

Feb 9

Nanna came to cuddle today and my O2 prongs are gone again. They've been testing my diaper for output and my sugars and they seem good. I'm taking 5mls every 2 hrs by gavage. Daddy came to visit today and I had a brady episode while he was cuddling me and I had a very long kangaroo cuddle with mom too.

Feb 8

Up to 1316 grams. Pretty uneventful day with a cuddle and mom talking to me.

Feb 8

I pooooooooped! Up to 1296 grams. I cuddled with mom today for a long time. I had my eyes open lots and was very alert and it made mom smile alot.

Feb 7

I passed a mucus plug today with some mec in it so hopefully this will lead to a poop and will stop mom whispering in my ear about needing to do this. Trust me, I want to. They took away the bili lights again and I have some bloodwork to be done. The tummy x ray was done again but no results yet. I had a kangaroo care cuddle with mom today for over an hr and I'm headed to the SCN at 1900! If I don't poop though, I will get another suppository.

Feb 6

Off prongs!!! And still doing great with 3.4 mls..but still not pooping. I had to back under the bili lights today. Mom changed my diaper for the first time today. The echo was cancelled as my murmur wasn't audible anymore and Dr K said he was ready to set up transfer to PLC or the Special Care Nursery. At 1500, a bed was going to be set up for me in the SCN! They took out my belly button IV and putting in a special IV called a PIC which goes up my arm from my elbow and into my heart.
They decided to keep me in the NICU one more night due to staffing in the SCN.
I got the prongs back because I aspirated some of my feeding tonight but its just room air blowing, no O2.

Feb 5

At 0600 I was on 23% O2 and snoozin when mom called to the NICU to check on me. Weight 1268 grams. There is an echo scheduled for later today/tomorrow on my heart as well as a head ultrasound. They routinely do the head u/s to make sure there are no cranial bleeds which is common in preemies like me.
Feeds up to 2.6ml x 2 hrs and should be up to 3 mls by morning. Mom and Nanna both cuddled me today.
When Mom called at 2200, I was already at 3mls! Sandi said I should be up to 3.4mls by morning!

Feb 4

They have heard a heart murmur today and they have said that it is the duct between my heart and lungs that hasn't fully closed so they are giving me meds for it and slowing up my transfer to another hospital based on my response to them. The bili lights are being removed today and I'm having an xray on my tummy to see why I'm not pooping. The nurses reduced my formula intake so that I don't get too backed up. I lost only 3 grams today.
My daddy's family has a huge history of pyloric stenosis and mom made sure to tell the nurses that today when the xray tech was checking my tummy. Daddy visited again today for a short while with Auntie Deanna and Auntie Kelly Anne.

Cuddles

Mom came to cuddle with me around 1am today and I held her finger as tight as I could. I lost 47 grams today. I had some spit up this morning due to having a tummy full of air. They did my footprints this morning for mom but I hated every second of it. At 11am I went under the bili lights and wore some cool shades. They gave me a very cool purple pacifier that I really like. They also said that there are good bowel noises but I need to poop! My blood type is 0+. Because I'm doing so well without anything more than room air on O2 and only have pooping as issue, we have been cleared for a transfer to a closer hospital but waiting for a bed for me.



Under the bili lights...cool shades



Cuddling with mom

First 24 hrs

My intobation tube was removed at 0600 and I had O2 support with nasal prongs and breathing with just room air support and moved into my own isolette at 0830. Around noon, the nurse put me on my tummy and when mom arrived I had my bum in the air. I have two stork bites on me... one on my eyelid and one between my eyes. My foot is the size of mom's thumb. I really don't like being disturbed. I had many visitors today.. Nanna and Grampa, Scott and Rachel, Daddy and Grandma and Auntie Adena. I didn't get to cuddle with mom today as I was over stimulated.

Me!

My name is Presleigh Helen Lenore Shepherd and I was born Feb 1, 2006 at 814pm weighing 2 lbs 15 oz and 15 1/4 inches long.

12 hours old

"It is hard to be brave," said Piglet, sniffing slightly, "when you're only Very Small.," Rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: "It is because you are very small that you will be useful in the adventure before us."

I'm here...

At 10am today, Mom had another ultrasound and nothing had changed since Monday as far as the placenta and cord were concerned. Mom had not felt me move alot since Sunday so they decided that today was the day I was coming. Mom had had 3 doses of steroids for my lungs and they whisked her off to Foothills where they deliver babies that are pre 32 weeks gestation. Nanna met mom at Foothills at 1pm and they spent 5 hours on monitors with doctors consulting, poking, prodding and discussing me. At 6pm, the doctors decided that I was going to be here...soon. They decided to deliver me by c-section as they did not feel I could tolerate labour and delivery. At 745pm a nice man came and took mom to the operating room to give her an epidural and as soon as it went in, I climbed up under mom's ribs which made her laugh.
There were 27 people including Nanna and Mom in the operating room and I had a special set of doctors and nurses waiting for me to arrive. I arrived at 814pm and was whisked away very quickly with Nanna right behind me. When they weighed me, I weighed 1304 grams...2 lbs, 15 oz. They cheered! I was a heavy weight compared to some of my soon-to-be neighbours. I was intobated and my apgars increased dramatically. My first score was 2 and my second was 8. My eyes were a deep navy blue and I had lots of hair for my age. While mom was being sewn up, the doctors and nurses worked on me and got me warm and settled and they then brought mom by to see me and took my picture with a very old polaroid.
In order for my mom to come spend time with me, she had to meet several milestones herself. She spent most of the evening getting her 'legs' back while I was being well taken care of by the NICU nurses and doctors.